Heat-developable light-sensitive material with base precursor

Abstract

A heat-developable light-sensitive material is described, comprising a support and at least one layer containing an alkali metal and/or alkaline earth metal salt of a carboxylic acid as a base precursor.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A heat-developable light-sensitive material comprising a support, a light-sensitive layer containing a light-sensitive silver halide, and at least one layer containing at least one salt selected from the group consisting of an alkali metal and alkaline earth metal salt of a carboxylic acid which decarboxylates at about 80° C. to about 250° C. as a base precursor, wherein said light sensitive material contains a dye releasing or dye forming material. 
     
     
       2. A heat-developable light-sensitive material as in claim 1, wherein the alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt of the carboxylic acid is represented by the formula   R{--CO.sub.2).sub.m }.sub.x M.sub.n     wherein M is an alkali metal ion or an alkaline earth metal ion; m and n are each an integer of 1 of 2; when M is an alkaline earth metal and m is 1, x is 2, and in other cases, x is 1; R is a substituted alkyl group having an electron attractive group at the α-position thereof, a substituted aryl group having an electron donative group at at least one of the ortho- and para-positions, an alkynyl group, a substituted alkynyl group, an acyl group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, an aryloxycarbonyl group, a carbamoyl group, a substituted carbamoyl group, or a carbon ring or heterocyclic residual group of the formula: ##STR19## which forms a 5- or 6-membered ring; R' and R" each represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a substituted alkyl group, an aryl group, and a substituted aryl group; provided that when m is 2, each of the groups listed above is divalent.   
     
     
       3. A heat-developable light-sensitive material as in claim 2, wherein M is an alkali metal ion selected from the group consisting of Na, K, and Cs ions or an alkaline earth metal ion selected from the group consisting of Ba and Ca ions; R is a substituted alkyl group having an electron attractive group at the α-position thereof and having 1-12 carbon atoms, a substituted aryl group having an electron donative group at at least one of the ortho- and para-positions and having 6-12 carbon atoms, an alkynyl group having 2-12 carbon atoms, a substituted alkynyl group having 2-12 carbon atoms, an aliphatic acyl group having 2-12 carbon atoms, an aromatic acyl group having 6-12 carbon atoms, an alkoxycarbonyl group having 2-12 carbon atoms, an aryloxycarbonyl group having 7-12 carbon atoms, a carbamoyl group, a substituted carbamoyl group substituted with at least one of an alkyl group having 1-12 carbon atoms and an aromatic group having 6-12 carbon atoms, or a carbon ring or heterocyclic residual group of the formula: ##STR20## which forms a 5- or 6-membered ring; R' and R" each represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1-12 carbon atoms, a substituted alkyl group having 1-12 carbon atoms, an aryl group having 6-12 carbon atoms, and a substituted aryl group having 6-12 carbon atoms; provided that when m is 2, each of the groups listed above is divalent. 
     
     
       4. A heat-developable light-sensitive material as in claim 1, wherein the base precursor is present in an amount not exceeding 50 wt.% based on the total weight of the layer or layers coated on surface of the support. 
     
     
       5. A heat-developable light-sensitive material as in claim 1, wherein the base precursor is present in an amount of from 0.01 to 40 wt.%, based on the total weight of the layer or layers coated on a surface of the support. 
     
     
       6. A heat developable light-sensitive material as in claim 1, wherein said dye-releasing material is capable of releasing a mobile dye upon reaction with the oxidized product of a reducing agent formed by a heat-initiated oxidation-reduction reaction with silver halide. 
     
     
       7. A heat developable light-sensitive material as in claim 1, wherein said dye-forming material is a coupler capable of forming a mobile dye by coupling reaction with the oxidized product of a reducing agent formed by heat-initiated oxidation-reduction reaction with silver halide. 
     
     
       8. A heat developable light-sensitive material as in claim 1, wherein said dye-releasing compound is capable of releasing a mobile dye upon heating but which no longer releases the mobile dye when it enters into the heat-initiated oxidation-reduction reaction with silver halide. 
     
     
       9. A heat developable light-sensitive material as in claim 1, wherein said dye releasing material is capable of reducing silver halide and which is capable of releasing a mobile dye by heat-initiated oxidation-reduction reaction with the silver halide. 
     
     
       10. A heat developable light-sensitive material as in claim 2, wherein R is a substituted alkyl group having an electron attractive group at the α-position is a group selected from the group consisting of CCl 3  --, CBr 3  --, CFCl 2  --, NCCH 2  --, CF 2  Cl--, CH 3  SO 2  CH 2  --. ##STR21## 
     
     
       11. A heat developable light-sensitive material as in claim 2, wherein R is a substituted aryl group having an electron donative group at at least one of the ortho- and para-positions is a group selected from the group consisting of ##STR22## 
     
     
       12. A heat developable light-sensitive material as in claim 2, wherein R is an alkynyl group selected from the group consisting of ##STR23## 
     
     
       13. A heat developable light-sensitive material as in claim 2, wherein said acyl group is selected from the group consisting of ##STR24## 
     
     
       14. A heat developable light-sensitive material as in claim 2, wherein said alkoxycarbonyl group is selected from the group consisting of ##STR25## 
     
     
       15. A heat developable light-sensitive material as in claim 2, wherein said aryloxycarbonyl group is selected from the group consisting of ##STR26## 
     
     
       16. A heat developable light-sensitive material as in claim 2, wherein said substituted carbamoyl group is selected from the group consisting of ##STR27## 
     
     
       17. A heat developable light-sensitive material as in claim 2, wherein the group represented by the formula ##STR28## is a group selected from the group consisting of ##STR29## 
     
     
       18. A heat developable light-sensitive material as in claim 2, wherein the group represented by the formula ##STR30## is a group selected from the group consisting of ##STR31## 
     
     
       19. A heat developable light-sensitive material as in claim 2, wherein the group represented by the formula ##STR32## is a group selected from the group consisting of ##STR33## 
     
     
       20. A heat-developable light-sensitive material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base precursor decarboxylates at a temperature between 100° C. and 200° C. 
     
     
       21. A heat-developable light-sensitive material as in claim 1, wherein the base precursor decarboxylates at a temperature between 80° C. and 160° C.